NEW YORK, NY – Federal prosecutors have charged Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and his wife with bribery offenses linked to their interactions with three businessmen in the state.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the couple received bribes that consisted of cash, gold, mortgage payments, a job with nominal responsibilities, and a luxury car. These bribes were given in return for Menendez using his position and authority as a senator to further the interests of the businessmen and the Egyptian government.
The senator, who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, each face three criminal counts: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.
Menendez’s re-election campaign for next year could be jeopardized by this investigation, which may also affect the Democrats’ narrow majority in the Senate.
The prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of various assets belonging to Menendez, including his New Jersey residence, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, and roughly $566,000 in assorted assets.
Also implicated in the bribery scheme were businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes. Hana, originally from Egypt, allegedly organized meetings between Menendez and Egyptian officials in 2018. In return, Hana placed Nadine Menendez on his company’s payroll.
In 2018, Menendez reportedly disclosed non-public details about the status of U.S. military aid to Egypt during a meeting with Hana. This inside information was then texted by Hana to an Egyptian official.
In 2019, the Egyptian government awarded one of Hana’s companies an exclusive license to export halal food from the U.S. to Egypt, despite the company having no prior experience in halal certification. Prosecutors claim that the proceeds from this venture were used to fund the bribes.
Menendez had previously faced bribery charges in 2017 in New Jersey, which ended in a hung jury. He maintained his innocence and was re-elected in 2018 for a third term in the Senate.